Three Nights In Guanabo, Cuba

Time Travel: Freedom Rides

Occasionally, for the Travel section, we feel compelled to include a “time traveling” post when we find something that moves us. Well, these images of Civil Rights Era mug shots posted by the Alabama Department of Archives and History did just that (thanks Bryce for sending over!). The struggle for civil rights in this country was a violent, well-deserved fight, and every once in a while it’s good to be reminded of that.

The first set of photos are mug shots from the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56), a historical protest intended to oppose the racial segregation of the public transit system. The campaign lasted from December 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks was arrested to December 20, 1956 with the United States Supreme Court decision declaring segregated buses in Alabama and Montgomery to be unconstitutional.

On the right below is the mug shot of Rosa Parks…

ABOVE LEFT: Dr. Martin Luther King

Below are mug shots of the 1961 Freedom Riders, a group of civil rights activists, who set out to challenge laws in the South by riding various forms of public transportation.